Considered a silent threat, heart disease often remains inconspicuous during its early stages and symptoms generally do not appear until the disease has progressed. A regular exercise routine not only helps prevent heart disease from occurring, but might also reverse damage already done. If you are looking to improve heart disease awareness around your community, consider using a creative health promotion project linking heart disease prevention with yoga.
Red Dress Yoga
The little red dress is the national symbol for women's heart disease awareness, and it makes a major appearance on the annual National Wear Red Day. Gather a group of people who are willing to not only "go red" but also "go yoga" for the next National Wear Red Day. Plan to hold your health promotion event in an area that sees a significant amount of traffic, such as a public park or inside a shopping mall. On the day, ask each participant to wear red from head to toe. Once you have all gathered, initiate a group yoga session. If desired, allow spectators to join in the fun. Hang signs and pass out pamphlets explaining the dangers of heart disease and the benefits of yoga. If possible, extend your yoga session to last several hours to have greater public impact.
Yoga Marathon
Runs and walks of various distances are held in multiple locations across the country to increase heart disease awareness and raise money for research. Rather than offering a 3K or 5K race, challenge participants to engage in a yoga marathon. Each participant secures a list of sponsors who agree to donate a specific amount of money for each 10-minute yoga session completed. On the day of the marathon, yoga instructors lead the participants through several 10-minute yoga sequences, with a brief break between each sequence. Participants complete as many sequences as they can physically handle, and sponsors donate money accordingly. All money should be donated to a heart disease awareness or research organization.
American Heart Month Yoga
Since 1963, February has been proclaimed "American Heart Month." During the month of February, challenge group members to participate in 28 days of yoga. If all participants attend a group yoga class, provide brief information on heart disease awareness before the class starts. If participants complete the yoga routines at home, send out an e-mail each morning with this heart disease information. Participants might wish to record their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body fat percentage before and after the challenge. Comparing these numbers should help reveal yoga's heart-healthy benefits.
Yoga Pose Word Game
For the yoga pose word game, develop a list of various yoga poses. On a sheet of paper or large poster, present the names and images of the various poses. Then, challenge participants to play a word game with the various letters in the pose name. Participants should think of heart disease risk factors, using the letters in the pose name as the first letter for each word. For example, a word game with the yoga pose "Crane" might stand for "Cholesterol (high), Regular stress, Alcohol consumption, No exercise and Elevated blood Sugar."
References
- American Heart Association: Life's Simple 7
- American Heart Association
- Mayo Clinic: 5 Meditation-Free Strategies To Help Prevent Heart DIsease
- Massachusetts General Hospital: Cardiac Wellness Program: Reduce Cardiac Risk
- American Heart Association: American Heart Month
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: Celebrate American Heart Month with The Heart Truth®!
